ABOUT THIS ALBUM

Album Notes

Amandah Jantzen is that rare article, a jazz singer with impeccable chops whose sultry tones draw you right into the heart of a song, making her accessible to a wide audience. Here she renders selections from the Ellen Vanderslice Songbook – sensuous slow ballads, Latin beats, and the simple message of A Christmas Lullabye.

Amandah’s sensational vocals are well supported here by instrumental performances from some of Portland’s finest jazz musicians, including several tracks with the trio TALL JAZZ and Lee Wuthenow on tenor sax. Be sure to catch “Reflection in Blue” for an outstanding offering by Randy Porter on piano, Phil Baker on bass, Ron Steen on drums, and Dan Faehnle on guitar. Percussionist Mike Snyder and drummer Neil Masson each put in an appearance on other tracks.

Amandah was featured as one of renowned jazz critic Scott Yanow's “top 500 jazz vocalists” in his book, THE JAZZ SINGERS, published by Hal Leonard in 2008. While she calls Portland, Oregon, home, Amandah performs all over the globe, in Shenzhen, Tokyo, Chengdu, Ha’Noi, Bangkok, Istanbul, Shanghai, New Delhi, Bali, Seoul, Singapore, and even a whole year in the Maldives!

Ellen Vanderslice is an award-winning composer and lyricist who lives, works, plays music and wears hats in Portland, Oregon. She often collaborates with composer and vibraphonist Mike Horsfall of TALL JAZZ fame. When she’s not busy writing songs, Ellen likes to help make the world better for walking and riding bikes. Of Amandah Jantzen, Ellen says, “I love the way she takes my songs and breathes life into them. She brings an unerring sense of time to her exquisite and wholly personal phrasing.”

And how to describe the quality of Amandah’s voice? Tom Phillips (Sounds of Jazz radio host), after listening to a handful of these tracks when Ellen released the compilation CD ONCE IN A BLUE MOON, wrote, “…that Amandah is sump’n else!... Not only is her diction the greatest, she can bend a note in JUST the right place... It’s more than just phrasing. The sensation is like it’s late in the evening, at the Country Club, a lot of the couples have left, the lights are low, the band is great, you’re dancing close, and she’s singing in your ear, just to YOU!”

Below is a complete track list with details about the songs and the performances. While many of these tracks have been included on other albums, the recording of “Airport Romance” has never before been released! Except for bonus track 8, all tracks were recorded with great enthusiasm at Dead Aunt Thelma’s Studio in Portland, Oregon, with the unflappable Mike Moore as the recording engineer.